First response time & SLA formula in Excel or Google Sheets
Put the inputs in column B from row 2, then paste the formulas below. They work the same in Excel and Google Sheets.
| Cell | What | Value or formula | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| B2 | Sum of first response times (hours) | 1200 | 1200 |
| B3 | Tickets | 800 | 800 |
| B4 | Tickets answered within target | 640 | 640 |
| B6 | Average first response time (hours) | =ROUND(B2/B3,2) | 1.5 |
| B7 | Answered within target (%) | =ROUND(B4/B3*100,1) | 80 |
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Frequently asked questions
- How do you calculate first response time?
- For each ticket, measure the time from the customer's first message to the first human reply, then add them up and divide by the number of tickets. Leave out automatic acknowledgements, and use business hours if your team does not work around the clock.
- What is a good first response time?
- It depends on the channel: live chat is measured in seconds or minutes, email usually in hours, with a same-day or 4-hour target common in B2B support. The target you promised customers matters more than a general benchmark.
- How do you calculate SLA compliance?
- Divide the tickets that got a first reply within the target time by all tickets in the period and multiply by 100. 1,010 of 1,200 tickets within target is 84.2% compliance and 190 breaches.
About the author
Abdessamad Ghanem
Customer Experience & Customer Success Consultant · Founder of Clarivoxx
Abdessamad Ghanem works across Customer Support, Sales, Customer Success, Account Management and Partner Management. He writes Clarivoxx Insights for B2B SaaS professionals who own retention, adoption and customer outcomes.